A Seperate Road
by LightHouse21
Summary: A serving wench and occasional prostitute at Hadrian's Wall isn't what she seems. After years of abuse and servitude can she finally find the truth? Maybe with a little help from a friend.
1. Prolouge

The sky was dark, and she was cold. Her body convulsing in wracking shivers that shook her small frame from head to toe. She wrapped scrawny, dirty arms around her thin frame and clutched the tattered remains of clothing to her in a futile attempt to trap the heat emanating from her body. Fingers threading through the once fine linen, now stained and torn, unrecognizable unless one looked closely enough to see the quality of the weave.

She sniffed, her nose was running and her feet scrunched in the thin layer of snow, they had gone numb a long while ago. The supple leather sandals were in tatters on her feet offering little protection against the bitter bite of the frozen terrain. Her mouth opened repeated in a silent litany, mouthing words through cracked lips. Nothing escaped but her wheezing breath. Sounding harsh in the quiet of the woods.

Her mind was unfocused, coherent thoughts harder to find as time dragged on, how long had she been walking? Minutes or hours…Days? She didn't know, she couldn't think. It was too cold.

With each step she took the darkness got closer, different somehow, she couldn't think how, it was too cold to think. Where there women, children, screaming nearby, or was it in her head? Did it already happen? Her head hurt and she was cold, so cold. Maybe it was all a dream and she would wake up soon, soft and warm, in a feather bed.

Her feet were dragging and she had to concentrate on lifting each foot of the ground, placing it back farther ahead, each slow movement torturously and unbearably demanding. Her eyes felt heavy, drooping and shutting on their own accord and the darkness was narrowing in, she was so cold. The stars were winking out, one by one until there were none left in the sky, and when the last one made it's disappearance so did she, falling down, down into that welcoming dark abyss.


	2. Chapter 1

A.N.: I forgot to do this last time so here we go, King Arthur does not belong to me. Only the original characters do. Thanks, please read and review.

Chapter One

Anna made her way through the tables, weaving a sinuous line between the narrow spaces, a tray heavy with drinks balanced precariously on her shoulder. She shifted it higher up, getting a better grip on its edge taking the moment to slide it over an itch that the scratchy woollen dress covering her had created. A pointless attempt to ease the uncomfortable nuisance.

Reaching the table she sought she set down the tray, plopping the drinks in front of the rugged unshaved men. Her breath whistled out between her lungs as a rough, hairy arm reached around her slender waist to pull her forcefully into a lap. A raspy voice panting into her ear "You working tonight girl?" it's tongue tracing the shape of her lobe.

She tensed, suppressing the shudder that ran throughout her body at the crude touch, taking a breath to summon the little courage she could she pitched her voice low, "Not the kind of work your thinking of, go find Katy." Her face was tense as she waited for his response, her heart thumping against her ribcage. She felt him lean back, drawing his face away from her neck, his grip loosening from around her waist. She closed her eyes for a brief second in relief, placing her hand on the table she moved to lever herself up. As she was rising the man's hand shot out. Grasping her wrist he leaned in "I don't want Katy." there was a look in his eyes, one she knew all to well.

She had yanked her hand away, unable to control the reflex. Strode behind the bar and traded tables with another of the wenches employed at the tavern. When Vanora had seen her pale features she had inquired after her, even going so far as to place a concerned hand on her forehead, but Anna convinced her that she was fine, just a little tired.

As the night wore on she lost herself in the comforting rhythm of routine, pour, serve, clear and wipe. Pour, serve, clear and wipe. The noise faded into the background, a white noise that didn't concern her, she kept a small smile on her face, her head tilted down when she was interacting with costumers. Meek and obedient.

Time went fast, and the end of the night came sooner than expected. The last few tables had cleared out, and Anna went around the area straightening chairs and collecting empty mugs, she had an old scrap of tattered material tucked into the fold of her dress to wipe the tables with. Most of the other girls had gone to their beds, or another's depending on what line of work they were pursuing. She wrung out the cloth in her hand, bringing it down to scrub at a stain on the table.

"Anna, girl, get outta here, you got a full day tomorrow with a early start and a late finish." Vanora's voice broke the silence. Anna turned towards her, her mouth about to open in response, when she spotted the arched eyebrow and challenging expression of the red head.

"Thank you Van." A genuine smile, rare for her, graced her features and caused her cheeks to dimple, her face transforming into something truly beautiful. She left the cloth on the table and grabbed her drab cloak from the back knotting it quickly about her neck. With a final wave to Vanora she left. Her feet taking her quickly down the familiar twists and turns that lead to the room she rented from the smithy's son.

She opened the door with a jostle of the handle, there used to be a lock to keep intruders out but it had broken and now the only purpose it served was to cause the door to stick annoyingly. Not that she had to worry about anyone stealing her things, the few possessions of value she owned were carefully hidden under a loose board in the floor, and the jostling wouldn't bother neighbours seeing as she was the only one to rent in this particular building. Also the smithy's son himself was enough to scare away the majority of thieves.

She kicked the worn leather slippers off, wiggling her toes in newfound freedom as nimble fingers undid her cloak, swinging it from around her shoulders and draping it over a sturdy chair located in the corner of her room. There was a small crude chest beside her bed, big enough to contain a few shifts and her other dress. She opened it and reaching in pulled out her wooden comb and a simple linen night gown, it's edges frayed from use. With a little fumbling she undid the laces at the back of her dress wiggling her shoulders through the wider neck to slip it down and off her body allowing it to pool at her feet.

She slipped the night gown over her head and slid her arms through its long sleeves,

She ran her hands down her body, adjusting the nightgown to fall correctly over the smooth lines of her figure. Anna reached into the mass of tangled hair at the back of her neck, searching for the leather band holding it up and out of her face, untying it she sighed as it fell in a heavy cascade down her back. Picking up the wooden coomb she sat down in the chair working it through her soft locks with patience, counting out one hundred strokes.

When she had finished she placed the coomb back in the chest, picked up her dress from the floor and hung it on a peg in the wall, she placed her leather slippers underneath her bed and with a final glance around she turned down the worn covers of her bed and lay down on her pallet, asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Anna was floating, warm and curled in her blankets, there was a jostling in her dream. A familiar jostling, and the sound of a creaking door swinging open, heavy footsteps getting closer. Heavy footsteps.

Her eyelids fluttered, snapping open in awareness, her torso thrusting upwards as she realized she wasn't alone. Anna opened her mouth in a scream, a strangled sound emanating as a sweaty palm clamped over it, cutting it off prematurely. Tears gathered in her eyes as a hard body pinned her down to the bed. She struggled but he was stronger, taking his hand off her mouth momentarily he delivered a sharp slap to Anna's face that split her lip and raising his arm again he brought it down for a second that left her dazed.

She could feel something warm dripping down he chin, landing on her collarbone. She kicked out futilely, her vision darkening around the edges, her eyes rolled wildly in her head trying to find something to focus on as she fought for consciousness. The hand gripped her face, pushing her lips together in a grotesque imitation of a pucker as the man leaned in close and whispered into her ear, "I told you I didn't want Katy." The tears in Anna's eyes fell and she slipped down, down into the peace of unconsciousness.


	3. Chapter 2

A.N. To reiterate, I do not own King Arthur. Only my own original characters, also everything written in italics represents thought.

Please read and review,

Thank you.

Chapter Two

The sun was rising, red light filtering through the flimsy wooden shutters of the window. Anna laid curled into a small protective ball, her knees drawn towards her chest and her arm draping over them. One small hand, it's fingers spread, cupped her aching jaw and split lip. Her eyes were wide open as she stared unseeingly at the shafts of colour, withdrawn into herself. She was frozen in a state of stock, trapped like a molecule of sand in a hourglass. Trapped in the memory of rough hands and foul breath, a mans heavy weight on top of her. Her head was reeling in the after shock of trauma. The light was filtering through the shutters, and it was red, like blood. Scarlet blood, dripping and flowing out to bathe the room in gory detail. Stark with every flaw revealed, laid out before the eye naked. The bare walls and the knotted scuffed wood of the floor, that sturdy chair in the corner which seemed so strong. _Strong, I must be strong. _

Her feet shifted, uncurling and her hand left her injured face. She placed her palm down on the bed levering herself up. Anna flinched at the soreness of her abused body as it protested movement. She stood, stripping the bed of it's covers and tossing them in the corner. She picked up her night dress from the ground where it had been discarded so carelessly the night before, the bodice was torn and there was blood on it. She stood there with it clutched in her hands for a few moments before throwing it on top of the sheets. The sun was rising, and she had work to do.

"_If you were a flower you would be a rose… a rose just in bud but one day you'll bloom, beautiful and bold and the sun will always shine on you… don't believe me? Wait and see… you'll see." A young mans voice, somewhere bright and warm, and something soft beneath. The air smelled beautiful, like violets and rosemary._

"Anna!" a harsh voice breaking her out of reverie, bring her back to the cruel reality surrounding her,

"On your left, move it girl, are you dumb? I said move!" It was one of the old butchers sons, the big one with heavy hands, Alfred, she knew from experience how heavy those hands could be, she'd felt the sting of them before when she had failed to move fast enough. Anna scramble out of the way, yanking her fingers from the hot water they were submerged in. Stepping clear of the men carrying a dead carcass of a pig.

Alfred turned towards her and catching sight of the current condition of her face he raised one dark shaggy brow, a smug look crossing over his face and twisting his lips into a unpleasant position. "Someone gave it to you good, eh? Taught some manners to you then, did they?" His voice was sickeningly sweet, and his head followed his eyes up and down her body.

A hot blush suffused Anna's cheeks, and with it came a rush of shame so fierce she had trouble quelling it down. She turned her head down, directing eyes at the ground and forcing back defensive words, some passionate outburst that would see her fired from the tavern or thrown out of the fort altogether. Meek and obedient, no rash words or retorts. I must remain meek and obedient. She turned away from him, back to the pile of dirty mugs and platters that awaited her and picked up a mug. Submerging it in the water she began to scrub, thoroughly and possibly a little harder then necessary.

When seeing her face Vanora had immediately pulled her into the pantry, her face a mixture of rage, sympathy and concern, "Who the fuck laid their hands on you so? Who, Anna, and none of your bullshit evasiveness this time, ya hear?" her voice was a hard whisper rising steadily in pitch until Anna was forced to clamp a hand over the red heads mouth to keep her quiet. "Shhh, Van, they'll hear you out there, just calm down a mom-" Vanora forcefully threw Anna's hand away from her mouth, her teeth clenched as she hissed "Calm down! Calm down? How do you expect me to keep calm, you're a bloody mess girl, a bloody mess I tell ya!"

"I know Van, I know, you think I don't? This is the way it is though, I am…I was a whore, you think the men really care that I'm not for sale anymore? Once a whore, always a whore. That's the way things are Van. The way… The way they'll always be." her voice was broken, and tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, two fat drops running down delicately moulded cheeks.

Van's face softened, a sigh leaving her lips as she reached out to enfold the younger woman in her arms, "Oh Anna, dear Anna, not always…" her hand made small circles on the girls back as she soothed her gently, "Look at me, what I used to be and what I'm now. I got Bors now, things wont always be so dark and bleak for you either." She held the girl closely, as Anna sobbed in the dark of the pantry, the barricade preventing that flood of tears from breaking free gone, swept away by a comforting touch.

Anna breathed deeply, inhaling the warm spiced air of the cabinet, absorbing strength from the woman holding her, clicking back together the broken pieces of her soul one by one until she felt able to stand on her own.

Withdrawing slowly from Vanora's arms she smiled sadly at her. "I'll be fine now, I just needed a good cry is all." her voice was scratchy and she swiped a palm across reddened eyes. Taking a deep breath she stepped back and straightened up. Vanora looked at her and returned the smile, her own equally sad. "Take the day off Anna, I can handle it here. Five and six should start to learn how to serve soon anyways so I'll call 'em over. You go home and get some rest…And for heavens sake get that damn door fixed."

"Thank you van, really. Has a girl ever had a friend like you?" She went out the back, and when she got home she sat down on her strong, sturdy chair and hummed a tune she didn't really remember.


	4. Chapter 3

A.N. To reiterate, I do not own King Arthur. Only my own original characters, also everything written in italics represents thought.

Please read and review, and a shout out to those who have.

Thank you

Chapter Three

Anna hummed, a sad little tune, one she never fully remembered. Her chest heaved in a sigh as she mulled over her possibilities for the day. She had the wash to do. A small amount of embroidery to complete that she had picked up from the seamstress, she didn't make much doing it but she couldn't afford to say no to a few extra coins.

The day was lovely, warm and surprisingly dry for spring. There was a small creek that ran not far from the fort, ideal for laundry. Anna ran a hand through her hair, it felt greasy and she grimaced in distaste. _I may as well wash myself while I'm at it. _A smile curled the corners of her mouth. _Perfect._

Anna shifted the wicker basket over one gently flaring hip, holding it carefully. The basket had seen better days, it's bindings were slowly unraveling, it looked worn and beaten and the colors had faded to dull shades. It still, nevertheless, served it's purpose. In it she had placed her wash, the stripped covers and her nightgown as well as a few pairs of patched wool stockings. At the very bottom, beneath all the other items lay one of her most prized possessions, a small cake of lavender soap.

Last summer during one of the festivals she had purchased it, spending more then she could truly afford but Anna had been so entranced with the floral scent, so clean and pure she had splurged. In truth she had gotten a discount, the man selling it had needed some mending done on his wife's favorite dress and Anna had been only too happy to exchange services.

She was almost at the brook, in the distance it was twinkling merrily. Anna took a deep breath, chest rising as she inhaled the sweet air and let it out in a peaceful sigh. Her feet quickened their pace as the excitement of having a proper bath rose within her. She could see it, the light was bouncing off the surface of the softly flowing water in silver beams. There was a patch of lush grass that looked inviting and she made her way towards it, her mouth curled upwards in a glimmer of a smile.

_It's beautiful here, just so beautiful._ Anna felt an inexplicable surge of joy rush through her, it's warmth reaching through her veins to fill her with a sense of hope and peace. She set down the basket, still smiling and as she took out the wash sorting though it and humming quietly under her breath.

She had washed the sheets thoroughly, scrubbing at the scarlet stains and watching as they faded. They hadn't disappeared completely, leaving faint outlines as evidence. Then again it made sense to her, some things were not meant to fade. Hard lessons especially, should never have to be relearned. Her head tilted down, her shoulders hunched as her mind was bombarded with half formed images of some distant life far removed from her present day predicament.

_Flashes of dancers dressed in vibrant tones, children dodging between them attempting to tag each other, the smell of flowers on the air, rich and heavy in it's perfumed beauty. Above it all the clear ringing of a woman's laughter, bubbling out smoothly like a fountain. _

_Then she was there, in the middle of it all. Small, smooth hands grasping the silk of her gown. It was blue, but not really blue. Green as well, to match her eyes her Mama had said. Eyes that served as a testament to her heritage, eyes to be proud of. She giggled when one of the young men picked her up to spin her about. Eyes flashing in delight they twirled across the dance floor, finally coming to rest at the edge of the dancing crowd. He lowered her gently to the ground, taking a knee to reach her level. As he smiled at her speaking softly, "Little flower, as much as I would care to ask for the next dance as well, I believe you're brother has called it." Anna stuck out her lower lip in a pout, and then let out a merry laugh when two fingers tweaked her nose fondly. "Do not be so sad little one, we have many years of dancing before us." The man chuckled as he pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead._

Shaking her head to clear it of the remaining vestiges of half remembered images Anna slipped off her worn shoes, and with a last glance at the surroundings she discarded her outer layers of clothing, keeping on her shift she walked down the smooth bank and waded into the chill water. Gasping as the cold hit her. She stopped when the water level hit her navel, testing the current. She was a fair swimmer, but she wouldn't risk battling the small rage of a turbulent creek, she had learned long ago that mother nature was far stronger than any mortal being. The tug of the stream wasn't dangerous though, and she could indulge in the beauty of the clear water flowing smoothly about her, in the sweetness of feeling it wash the stains of dirt and the stink of sweat from her skin. She could submerge herself fully and scrub away the dark memories of her life.

With a deep breath she plunged down, shutting her eyes tightly as she sat at the bottom, gripping onto dirt to steady her self. She held her breath waiting until her lungs felt like they would burst for want of air, and then she rose spluttering and laughing like a child as she fought to regain her breath. She waded back to the shore, retrieving her soap and lathered herself up, paying particular attention to the long dark locks of her hair. She was vain about her hair, it was a rare color. Dark but with a flash of fire when the light it hit it right, something that was rare here in Britain where the norm was hues of mousy browns.

She hummed while she worked, a rowdy song she had picked up working in the tavern. A foot stomping, hand clapping song that inspired joy. The sun shone brightly, sparkling of the water and illuminating her milky skin with a warm glow. She made her way towards the boulder, where the water was calmer. She sat with one leg folded beneath her staring into still water and studying her wasn't a delicate beauty, her features were too strong for that. Full lips and large thickly lashed eyes. Brows that arched in a graceful line, it was her jaw that made her strong, and her chin. A stubborn chin, with a cleft in the middle. Her face was marred by the large bruise mottling her face. That was fine though it would disappear in time, healed with time._ Buried more like_, she snorted at the thought.

Turning her face away from her reflection she hauled her body from the rock, resenting the thought of leaving such a peaceful place. Still the day was moving onwards and she had more she wanted to accomplish, slowly Anna dressed and gathering her things she made her way towards the path leading to the fort, fingering her hair she decided on leaving it down to dry. At the foot of the trail she saw one single daisy growing wild amongst the rocks and in a thoughtless motion reached down to pick it, slipping it behind her ear and nestling in thick locks. With a renewed sense of spirit and a bounce in her step she set off towards the fort, a small smile shimmering about her lips.


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own anything and make no profit, this is an M story!

He stood in the shadows, silent. His big frame still as he watched the girl. He should look away he knew, it was shameful staring at her like some lecher in the bushes. _Gods, am I a lecher in the bushes?_ He was in the bushes after all. He would turn around and walk the other way, before she got into the water. He would go now. His foot lifted off the ground, and then she took off her shift. He put his foot back down.

He suppressed a groan, she was beautiful. Hair like dark fire and alabaster skin, curves that he thought would mould into his hands. Curves that would only improve with a few good feedings. He really should go, he had only come to make sure she got here safely. It was a favour to Vanora really, and to his brother Bors. He hadn't meant to see this, the Gods knew he hadn't.

But now he stood there rooted to the spot, practically salivating like some bull in rut. Did he have no self control? She was beautiful yes, but just a girl. A slip of a thing that had been through too much like so many other tavern wenches. You could see it in the haunted look their eyes held. So why did he find it so hard to stay away from her? He had never had her, had never truly even spoken to her. Sometimes he would sit in the tavern and watch her, the way her hands moved or her hips swayed. Sometimes he watched the way her lips shaped words and imagined how soft those lips were.

She was dipping her toe in the water, he saw the shiver that raced along her at contact with cold. Maybe if he went and wrapped his arms around her, if he brushed her hair aside and kissed her neck… His breeches were uncomfortable. He eased the material away, trying to get more comfortable. He needed to leave now.

Then he saw her shoulders square, and she plunged into the water with a few long strides and dropped below the surface. He waited, counted the seconds and just when he was about to break cover she reappeared. He settled back into the shadows mesmerized by her. The dark wet hair, hanging to her waist sticking to her curves. She was still facing away mostly. He could see the tip of one breast, a hint of rosy nipple. _Turn around you sweet, sweet thing. _

His cock ached. He eased a hand down, stroking imagining._ I'm going to hell. But gods is she sweet._ He couldn't stop, not now. He watched as she bathed, imagined the feel of that hair, that mouth and those breasts. Until he came with a small, barely suppressed groan into the bushes at his feet. He was ashamed. The girl was still facing away, he perused her a last time and then tucking himself away he silently made his way back towards the fort.


	6. Chapter 5

Anna reached the gates to the fort with the sun still high. She ducked past the guards with a bob of a curtsy and ignored a ribald comment by the gate keeper. Her work at the tavern ensured that they recognized her so in a few short moments she found herself in the main laundry yard hanging up her wet wash on the public lines. She smiled at the women she recognized, and answered the occasional greeting with one of her own. She had heard in other communities women of her former profession were reviled by decent folk, but here at the fort where they stood as a last outpost against the savages on the other side of the wall she was still welcomed by most. She had acquaintances, even what she would call friends outside of the tavern.

She finished hanging the last of the laundry, and with a cheerful wave to a few of the urchins weaving in and out of the linen she decided, or rather her stomach decided with a loud growl that likely could be heard in Rome, to beg Vanora for a bite at the tavern. _Bread hot from the oven, butter and honey slathered on, fresh roasted pork crackling with fat- _She stopped herself, the pork was unlikely. That was reserved for paying costumers.

She rounded a bend in the street and saw the smoke from the roasting pit in the kitchens, she smelt the pig roasting. Her mouth was watering like a fountain. Discreetly she lifted her hand and subtly wiped it, her pace quickened in anticipation,

Vanora was working her way through the outer tables with a pitcher of what was most likely ale, slapping hands aside and looking over her tables with queenly dignity. She spotted Anna right away and with a bonnie smile and a wave towards the bar she said the most welcome words Anna had heard in what felt like years, "There's a plate set aside in the back." And with that Vanora was back to it, fending off groping hands with a few carefully chosen words and the heavy spoon kept in her apron pocket.

_Vanora's an angel sent from the lord above. _Anna thought as she dug in heartily to her meal, _Pork. _She savoured the taste, reveling in the treat. Grabbing her tankard she took a swig of ale to wash down a mouthful of food. She nearly spit it out again when Five swerved in a truly physics defying way directly into a wooden beam. With a cough and a splutter she set her head in her hands to keep her laughter under check as Vanora's voice rang out in a shrill berating tone. Anna winced at her creative use of language. _Maybe not quite an angel after all._

Regaining some measure of composure she straightened up crossing her legs at the ankles and tucking them underneath her chair. Shoulders upright she delicately licked the tip of her finger, pressing it to every crumb on her plate. She was full, but she still wished there was more. A priest would call it gluttony, but Anna thought it common sense. If you had access to food you ate it, the world changed every day and there was no telling if you'd end up out on the streets starving.

She finished her ale and picked up her plate, judging by the general chaos being caused by Five and Six, the redheaded twins were now arguing with each other, the tavern staff had enough on their hands without needing to clean up after her. She walked to the back and slipped behind the bar, turning the corner to pass into the kitchen and collided with something very big and hard, for one shocked moment she thought the wall had moved as she bounced back and landed ungracefully and quite hard on her rump.

There was a curse on her tongue for the fool in front of her but it died away as she looked up, and then seemingly impossibly higher into a pair of grey eyes that seemed just as startled as her.


End file.
